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Munsen was scheduled to begin a jury trial in U.S. District Court in Alexandria on Monday April 21st on one felony charge of conspiracy against rights and one misdemeanor charge of interfering with the federally protected right to travel. If convicted on both counts, the maximum penalty would have been 11 years in prison and a $350,000 fine. Munsen was initially indicted on January 24th, 2008, and pleaded not guilty on February 7th. Under the terms of the plea agreement, Munsen is pleading guilty only to the misdemeanor, and would faces only a maximum of one year's imprisonment and a $100,000 fine. After Friday's plea, it will be an estimated six to eight weeks before sentencing.

Munsen was arrested on September 20th, 2007 when Alexandria police allegedly found hangman's nooses dangling from the rear of his pickup after he drove past a crowd of people who had attended a civil rights march in Jena earlier in the day. He was booked on state charges of inciting a riot, driving while intoxicated, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor - a 16-year-old boy from Dry Prong, Louisiana, who was with him. The Federal charges came later; the state's case has been delayed pending the outcome of the Federal case. Munsen has been free on unsecured $25,000 bond, so he obviously isn't considered a grave threat to society.

The 16-year-old, who was arrested on charges of underage drinking and probation violation, allegedly told police he had a "KKK" tattoo on his chest and said some of his relatives were involved in the Ku Klux Klan. Officers found an unloaded rifle and a set of brass knuckles in Munsen's truck. However, the crowd of an estimated 200 mostly black people in the area remained calm and did not react to the sight of the nooses.

What the Town Talk now reveals is that there was a third person involved. This third person, who apparently was to be a prosecution witness, allegedly witnessed Munsen and the juvenile's plan to intimidate the marchers, according to court papers filed by First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Flanagan. Flanagan also revealed that the witness, also a teenager, was an "acquaintance" of Munsen and a "close friend" of the juvenile, who is referred to as "T.R.". So apparently the Feds turned this witness into an informer.

The witness refused to go along with the plan and "expressly warned defendant Munsen and T.R. that driving around the marchers with hangman's nooses displayed from the truck would likely lead to their arrest," according to Flanagan.

Commentary: It's obvious that the Feds overcharged Munsen in order to get at least a pound of flesh and claim a victory. At least Munsen will not have a felony collar hanging around his neck and hindering his employability.

What the state should consider doing now is dropping their own charges, since proceeding would create the appearance of double jeopardy. The definition of "double jeopardy" should be expanded to prohibit someone being tried more than once for the same event. Under current practice, one may be tried more than once for the same event, if it is different jurisdictions. Of course, the state can proceed with sanctioning Munsen's driving privilege for the DUI; that's a separate issue.

And once again, we see that the Feds transformed a close acquaintance of the accused into an informer, although there's no evidence that the individual was a "captive" informer who would receive consideration for snitching.

One mainstream source seems to agree that the prosecution of Jeremiah Munson, at least on the Federal level, was overkill. On April 9th, the Shreveport Times reported that the Thomas Jefferson Center for the Protection of Free Expression, a First Amendment organization based in Charlottesville, VA, announced their award of the "Jefferson Muzzle" to Donald Washington, the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Louisiana, and Grace Chung Becker, assistant attorney general for civil rights, received their Muzzle for their roles in pressing federal hate crime charges against Jeremiah Munsen. The "Muzzles" have been handed out since 1992 to call attention to what the Jefferson Center considers to be "particularly egregious or ridiculous affronts to free expression.

And another glaring inconsistency has since been noted. While Munsen has been prosecuted for a "hate crime" for publicly displaying a noose, a group of Brooklyn Jews face NO sanctions for hanging Gentiles in effigy in their neighborhood. That's because the Jews do it as part of their celebration of Purim. The fact that Gentiles might be offended is irrelevant to the Brooklyn authorities, however.

If "symbolic speech" is accompanied by some overt act, in furtheranceof some immediate illegal-activity, it loses First-Amendment protection.For example, if Jeremiah Munsen had taken a noose, strapped it aroundsomeone's neck and tugged on it, that would have gone beyond mere"protest." But, since he was simply protesting, he is protected.

Case in point is Agnes Waters, a staunch anti-Communist who mounted acampaign for President of the United States in 1944, as an opponent of aidto the Soviet Union. In testifying before Congress, Waters said that heropponents had better not come to Capitol Hill, because she had "ropes withwhich to hang them." And, if that were not enough, "pistol-packing mamaswill take care of them." She was not arrested, but went on to become afolk-hero, just as Munsen has.

Arthur Terminiello, a Waters-ally, was later arrested for "inciting a riot," justas Munsen was. Prosecutors in Chicago claimed that, in a speech, Terminiellohad "stirred people to anger," the same as Munsen in Alexandria. However,the U.S. Supreme Court disagreed, ruling that "a function of free speech underour system is to invite dispute. It may indeed best serve its high purposewhen it induces a condition of unrest, creates dissatisfaction with conditionsas they are, or even stirs people to anger."

Richard Barrett has denounced "in the strongest, possible terms" thefederal-prosecution of Jeremiah Munsen for "hate," which, according toBarrett, violates Munsen's free-speech rights. Barrett said that theeighteen-year-old, who displayed two nooses from the back of a pick-uptruck in Alexandria, to protest Negroes returning from Jena, where theyhad demanded to "Free the Jena Six", was protected by guarantees ofthe First Amendment. "It is called symbolic-speech," explained Barrett,"when you use a flag, sign, bumper-sticker, gun or, even, noose to punctuateyour protest." Barrett said that the youth did not approach any of the JenaInvaders and that, consequently, there was no "intimidation" or violence.Munsen's fellow-protester, a teen whose name was not released, isaccused of being a "co-conspirator" for "glaring" at the invaders. "Itis part of free-speech to glare at anyone you want to," Barrett added.

Barrett noted that the petition, circulated by The Nationalist Movement on"Jena Justice Day", contained moral-support for Munsen. "We applaudthe protest by Jeremiah Munsen against the Jena Invasion, which exercisedfreedom-of-speech. We vow to bring back the First Amendment," the petitionrecited. Barrett condemned the installation of Donald Washington, the firstNegro U.S. Attorney in the district, who instituted the prosecution, as anexample of the "minority-tyranny" which "Jena Justice Day" protested."Integration is infestation," Barrett stressed, punctuating that Washingtonwas "abusing his office by playing to the Black Caucus, instead of to theBill of Rights." He said that the indictment should either be dismissed orMunsen acquitted and that "Washington should be replaced by someonewho represents the greater good, not the favored few."

Meanwhile, David Dupre, who had been barred from marching in the "Noto Jena Six, No to MLK" parade in Jena by Police-Chief Paul Smith, forbearing a shotgun, said that he has been displaying a noose, from hispick-up truck, in solidarity with Munsen, and will continue to do so. TheNationalists are re-challenging the gun-ban in federal-court, afterJena-officials reimposed it, after stating in court that they had withdrawnit and Jena had been court-ordered not to interfere with the march. Overa hundred nooses have been displayed throughout the country in supportof Munsen and in opposition to the "Jena Six". The Nationalists,then, issued "guidelines" for engaging in "symbolic-speech."

Barrett queried if Washington were going to indict William Winchester for "hate," "intimidation" and "conspiracy." The "January 21st Committee", aself-declared adjunct of the Revolutionary Communist Party, had announcedthat it would "shout down" speakers at "Jena Justice Day" and had, briefly,occupied the Nationalists' speakers' platform. Leader William Winchesterhad been arrested for assaulting the police, when he refused to clear out ofthe rally-area, prior to commencement of speeches. "People are irate thatAmericans are charged with 'hate' but minorities are not," declared Barrett.Dupre said we must "get some people in Washington to start protectingour rights." Barrett added that "creation of an untouchable-class ofprivileged-minorities is nothing but detrimental to the American systemof justice." He hailed Munsen as a "modern-day Peter Zenger," after thepatriot who had been acquitted in 1735 of libeling the King.

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It's time for Americans to take America back! America has been in the hands of special interests too long. Sometimes it's necessary to set aside the labels; while I prefer the conservative solution, sometimes you gotta go to the left. Sometimes capitalism requires an occasional daub of socialism to smooth its sharper edges.